" Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

* I use servicemen to cover both I'm not going to type servicemen and service women everytime. It's not that i mean offence it's that I'm lazy*


DISCLAIMER - I'm not homophobic! Before you pass off your judgement read the whole blog. If you have a problem with this view accept the fact it's just a view which I'm entitled to. I have no problem over DADT being retracted but I don't see DADT as being such a huge evil either because it did accomplish something I think some people miss. I'm not trying to evangelize my opinion. I'm up for debating and stuff but I don't want to have a pissing match either.

I remember getting verbally raped by staunch DADT supporters and those in opposition of it alike.  Because my view of the policy don't correlate with either spectrum.  I've had the pleasure of another blogger coming the conclusion that I was clearly gay and try to force me out of the "closet" and inadvertently try to draw readers away from my blog. Even better I've been made fun and occasionally abused for " Being Gay" with out actually being " Gay" so I've walked more then a mile in a gay guys flip flops thank you. I've been fortunate to be brought up by a mother who is actually against the gay orientation but still told me as a kid I needed to love them all the same, and a father who'd been a member of the Scottish Militia who was basically " Gay is Gay get over it" who has taught me to treat people on there personality and not the person in their bed.


I just see DADT for what it was trying to do. Prior to DADT, a recruiting officer could flat out ask about your orientation. If they suspected you were gay you were gone. If there was conjecture, you were instantly under unit scrutiny and formal investigation to uncover your preferences. However DADT  at least cock blocked commanding officers, Recruitment officers on some level from questioning a recruits orientation or investigating a service members orientation. It ultimately gave a homosexual at least a set of lock pick tools to the door of the military. It wasn't a perfect policy it still gave the public majority what it wanted in keeping homosexuals out, but in some way still allowed a homosexual in while expecting them to live a more closeted life. It still was a policy that made the first step.


Now more then 15 years later the general public has a better knowledge of gays. They are more excepting of it. Some people may still be hell bent against the gay lifestyle but tolerate and accept it.  Today DADT was retracted and thats fine because now just happens to be the time where its socially acceptable because there is a wider knowledge of gays then there was in 93.  


The funny thing is without DADT in the first place, today wouldn't of happened. DADT put closeted gays into the military in turn many of those closeted gays came out to close friends in the forces and commanders and over time other service for the most part didn't care because they saw that regardless of orientation gay servicemen were not jumping their bones in the barracks or the showers. Heterosexuals were given exposure to having gay brothers in arms. 


In my opinion the civilian populations vote on the matter was borderline procedure what really mattered was the vote of " Current Servicemen". If a huge majority of servicemen were against DADT being retracted it would of stayed in place. It didn't and I think the underlying exposure to gay service men DADT did allow had most current service members in a position to either not care about orientation or just accept it as small evil for the price of a good soldier.


Small side note
- I don't ever want to see a military formal dress uniform on a soldier marching  in a gay pride parade. That has nothing to do with a homophobic view because I wouldn't want to see a soldier in a formal dress uniform marching in a straight pride parade is they had them.  Any other uniform is fine but I think things like the FORMALs should only be worm for military functions, veterans/ remembrance parades and events and of course the Santa Clause Parade.